By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA. 3 August 2023 (IDN) — Not only are military coups becoming frighteningly frequent in West and Central Africa, virtually all of them, it appears, also speak French. For the fifth time in three years in West Africa, soldiers […]
What Went Wrong with US-Russian Relations After Reagan and Bush?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 1 August 2023 (IDN) — What would the conservative president, Ronald Reagan, have done if the Ukraine debacle had happened on his watch? I suspect he would have made sure it didn’t devalue relations between the US and Russia. It wasn’t him nor his vice-president, George W.H Bush, who inflamed […]
The Anatomy of Decades Long Relations between Russia and Africa
By Somar Wijayadasa* This is the first of a two-part article looking into relations between Russia and Africa, which began long before the massive decolonization of Africa in the 1960s. NEW YORK. 31 July 2023 (IDN) — The Russia-Africa summit on 27 and 28 July in St. Petersburg warrants us to examine Russia’s historic and […]
The Great Transition: Non-alignment and the Rise of the Global South
By Khalid Malik* This article was published in Other News. NEW YORK. 29 July 2023 (IDN) — In the 17th century, Ming China represented roughly one-third of global output, and Mughal India a little less. Together the two countries accounted more than half of the world’s output, with a corresponding size of populations (as a […]
Israel Is on the Brink of a Disaster. Will History Repeat Itself?
By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK. 28 July 2023 (IDN) — The battle over Israel’s democracy, if not its very soul, has been raging since the current Netanyahu government came to power seven months ago. The passage of the first round of ‘reforms’ has made an indelible crack in Israel’s democracy; if the public’s outcry to […]
Glimpses of an Endgame in Ukraine
By M K Bhadrakumar * NEW DELHI. 27 July 2023 (IDN) — The problem with the war in Ukraine is that it has been all smoke and mirrors. The Russian objectives of “demilitarisation” and “de-Nazification” of Ukraine wore a surreal look. The Western narrative that the war is between Russia and Ukraine, where the central […]
When Politics Spark Smiles & Trigger Loud Laughter…
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 25 July 2023 (IDN) — Ronald Reagan, a former US President and ex-Hollywood movie star of the 1950s, peppered most of his speeches with hilarious anecdotes. Joking about the faltering Soviet Cold War economy, Reagan recounted a May Day parade in Red Square where the Russians were displaying their sophisticated […]
The Oppenheimer Film, The Nuclear Bombing of Japan and The Lies Told
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 25 July 2023 (IDN) — This is what is missing from Christopher Nolan’s powerful film, “Oppenheimer”- the story of the making of the atomic bomb: Yes, one can blame the wartime leadership of Japan for persisting with the war when the evidence was overpowering that Japan along with Germany had […]
Sub-Saharan Africa: Wealth Tax and Wealth Redistribution
Viewpoint by Khanyisa Mbalati The writer was an Intern with the South Centre Tax Initiative. GENEVA. 24 July 2023 (IDN | SouthViews) — Sub-Saharan Africa is arguably one of the most unequal regions in the world, with high levels of income, gender and social inequality. The region is home to a large number of low-income countries. The […]
The Riots in France as Seen Through the ‘Long Take’
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK. 22 July 2023 (IDN) — On June 27, Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old French citizen of North African descent, was shot dead by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre when he attempted to drive off during a traffic check. His killing sparked protests and riots across France, especially […]